American Express Sportsbooks

Online sportsbooks know that there are a lot of bettors from the United States looking to wager on sports betting sites. That's because the huge majority of USA players still have to go to offshore sports betting sites to legally wager on sports online. And with U.S. players venturing to these offshore sites who are marketing to them, they have deposit methods that U.S. players commonly have, or commonly have access to.

One of these methods is an American Express card. American Express is considered one of the “big three” credit cards in the United States, with the other two being VISA and Mastercard. American Express cards are accepted at a few select USA online sportsbooks, and can provide a safe, easy, and certainly a convenient way for bettors to make quick deposits to fund their accounts.

But there are some details that you should be aware of before using AmEx to fund your online sportsbook account, and we will discuss these later on down this page, so keep reading as we guide you through the entire gamut of American Express sports betting sites.

Benefits Of Using American Express To Deposit

High Acceptance Rate - American Express has a very high acceptance rate for USA players at online sportsbooks. The transactions tend to go through with little or no inconvenience from the credit card companies or banks.

Instant Deposits - Once accepted, your deposit is instantly transferred into your sportsbook account and available for you to use on any gambling products at your chosen online sportsbook.

Drawbacks Of Using American Express

Not Always Offered - American Express is not that common amongst online sportsbooks, but there certainly are some that accept them. In general, AmEx is the least-accepted “common” payment method at the major USA online sportsbooks.

Not Always Easy To Obtain - Getting approved for an American Express card can be one of the toughest lines of credit to open. They are typically offered to Americans that have good credit scores and open lines of credit in good standing, with the requisite high limits. AmEx tends to be for wealthier folks who can maximize things like airline miles and other benefits related to American Express.

Acceptance Not 100% Guaranteed - Despite American Express having a high acceptance rate, it is not a guarantee for USA players that it will go through, because every electronic transaction has the potential to be restricted by the UIGEA (a federal banking law regarding wagering products on the Internet).

American Express Credit Card vs. American Express Gift Card Deposits

One of the nice features about online sportsbooks accepting American Express cards is that they accept anything with the American Express brand from the company. American Express gift cards are under this umbrella, and these are generally accepted wherever American Express cards are. The best reason to use AmEx gift cards instead of the brand’s standard cards is that the gift cards are approved 100% of the time (if they’re certified for international use). Because the funds are not held by the bank as such, sportsbooks tend to use loaded gift cards more or less as cash.

What Do I Do If My American Express Deposit Is Declined?

If this happens, you will have to seek out another method of depositing, though sometimes waiting a few hours and trying again with the same card does work. American Express card deposits could be rejected because the bank will not approve an online gambling transaction. However, one of the nice things in general about online sportsbooks where USA players are accepted is that there is usually more than one funding method that they accept. This can be in the form of another credit card, but it can also come in the form of a wire transfer, money order, cashier's check, or even an e-wallet.

So if your card is rejected, just remember that there’s nothing wrong with it (your card will still work for other transactions, for example), and you’re not in any kind of trouble. Simply use a different funding option and get on with your betting!

Best Sportsbooks That Welcome American Express Deposits

We'll be honest: it's not easy to find sportsbooks that take American Express. But we're not going to let that stop us from finding the best services that do. Just accepting AmEx isn't enough to get on this list, of course, as these sites must be proven leaders not only when using American Express but also when it comes to all the other aspects of the website in question. We have used these sites extensively ourseleves, so we know that AmEx does work with them. With that said, we usually opt for VISA deposits because the terms of the card are more friendly for our situation (i.e. lower transfer fees).

SportsBetting is famous for a number of customer-friendly features, including their award-winning, robust odds boards and their unrivaled banking options. As one of the only major sportsbooks that openly accepts American Express, SportsBetting makes it easier than ever to fund your account. Users of AmEx report that their deposits are honored roughly 95% of the time, as AmEx’s privacy protocols keep your transactions from getting caught in UIGEA’s net far more often than not.

If you sign up with American Express at SportsBetting, you can choose to accept the site’s 50% deposit match bonus, which can put up to $1000 in your account. These are in the form of free-plays, and you can score them by simply entering promo code SB1000 in the appropriate field when making your first AmEx transfer to the site.

Bovada Sportsbook – AmEx Accepted + Bitcoin Bonuses!

American Express is one of the few funding methods accepted by Bovada, as the site emphasizes ease-of-use and supports only the most commonly-used deposit types. American Express deposits at America’s number-one sportsbook carry a premium compared to VISA and Mastercard, but unless you’re depositing a huge chunk of change, the extra fees are worth it – especially if you have a good points program with American Express.

Bovada offers new members a welcome bonus to use in their sportsbook. This bonus matches your deposit by 50% for a total value of up to $250, which you can put towards the site’s sports betting or racebook products. In addition to AmEx, Bovada also takes Bitcoin, which is fast displacing credit and debit as the most popular deposit mechanism. If you deposit via Bitcoin or Bitcoin Cash at Bovada, you can claim a massive sitewide bonus worth up to $5000 (promo codes BVSBITCOIN50, BVSBITCOIN150).

5Dimes Sportsbook – American Express Accepted By Request, No Fees!

5Dimes does not advertise that they accept American Express, but if you wish to use this particular credit card to fund your online sports betting account, you can call customer service and request that they accept your AmEx transfer. They may not do this for brand new members, but if you’ve been playing at the site for a little while, they’ll definitely work with you to make funding your bankroll as easy as possible.

Typically, any credit card deposit at 5Dimes – including American Express – carry a minimum deposit requirement of $50 and a maximum deposit limit of $500. 5Dimes does not add any transaction fees to their card transactions, but your bank still might, so make sure you understand exactly how much it will cost to fill up your account via this method. AmEx transfers are good for all sportsbook promos, including 5Dimes $520 welcome bonus and their Reduced Juice program.

So far, we've talked about the different online sportsbooks that accept American Express and some of the benefits and drawbacks that this deposit option presents. Now, we are going to take that a step further and delve into some of the most important factors surrounding American Express deposits at online sportsbooks.

American Express Sportsbook Deposit Fees

American Express deposits typically carry the highest instant-deposit fees in the online sports betting industry, but that’s a small consideration when you take all the other benefits of the card into account (not the least of which is its higher-than-average acceptance rate). Depending on the sportsbook you use, you can expect American Express cards to come with processing fees of about 7-9 percent of the total value you’re transferring. Obviously, if you’re putting in a particularly large amount of money, this can be problematic, but most reputable books will work with you in those cases and waive any associated transfer fees.

American Express Sportsbook Withdrawals

Those who deposit with an American Express credit card will have to choose another form of withdrawal, as sportsbooks no longer do card chargebacks as payouts. Bettors will be able to select their preferred cash-out method based on the options that their online sports betting sites will have in their Cashier or Customer Service sections. Most payouts will be processed within 24 hours and sent on their way to the player. Payout methods include checks in the mail, wire transfers, and – very occasionally – prepaid gift-style credit cards can be found.

Note: In order to withdraw via cryptocurrency (Bitcoin et al.), you will have had to also make your initial deposit via that same cryptocurrency. In other words, if you deposit with AmEx, you cannot currently request Bitcoin payouts of winnings associated with that card deposit.

Sportsbook Security - Keeping your American Express account safe obviously one of the main questions with these sports betting sites that are offshore will be security. But the more you know about these online sportsbooks, the more comfortable you feel about them. The ones that we have reviewed and played at are some of the most respected betting sites in the world. As such, they take the security of their site – and their players’ private personal data – very seriously. Bettors who sign up and input personal and financial information into their accounts can take solace in the fact that these sports betting sites employ state-of-the-art encryption measures to ensure full safety.

Transaction Time For American Express Sportsbook Transfers

If accepted, an American Express card deposit method is instant, funding a player's account and allowing them to bet on what they wish right away. It only takes a couple of minutes to submit the information to make an American Express deposit, and once approved, future deposits take even less time with the card information already on file with the sportsbook. Depositing with an American Express Card is nice this way, as it doesn't have the player have to wait for the payment to be sent and received.

Sportsbook Security - Keeping Your American Express Account Safe

Obviously one of the main questions with these sports betting sites that are offshore will be security. But the more you know about these online sportsbooks, the more comfortable you feel about them. The ones that we have reviewed and played at are some of the most respected betting sites in the world. As such, they take security of their site, and their players very seriously. Bettors who sign up and input personal and financial information into their account can take solace in the fact that the sports betting site puts in different encryption and measures to ensure full safety. Using an American Express card could also get you a call from your bank as well, where you will have to verify the deposit.

American Express Sportsbook Deposit Bonuses

When you deposit with an American Express card, you are able to receive different deposit bonuses that are available at various top sports betting sites. But since credit cards are very common ways to deposit, you might sometimes see that the bonuses aren’t quite as profitable as those associated with other methods. However, over time, things have mostly streamlined, and you’re now able to claim standard welcome and reload bonuses regardless of your specific payment methods.